Air strikes kill 10 children in ISIL-held Deir Az Zor

Air strikes have killed at least 22 people, including 10 children, in an ISIL-held village in eastern Syria, a monitor has said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Wednesday that the raids hit the village of Hajna in Deir Az Zor province, killing 12 people from one family and 10 from another. It said at least 10 children were among the dead.

Where is the next battleground in Syria?

Local activists quoted online said the air strikes happened on Tuesday.

Located in the northern countryside of Deir Az Zor, Hajna is held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

The UK-based Observatory had no immediate word on who carried out the strikes but it was likely to have been either the Syrian government or its ally Russia.

Russian fighter jets have been carrying out air raids over Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad since September 2015.

As news of the deaths in Deir Az Zor emerged, the Turkish state news agency reported that Turkey and Russia had reached an agreement on a plan for a ceasefire comprising the whole of Syria.

Under the plan, Ankara and Moscow would work for the ceasefire to come into force at midnight on Wednesday, Anadolu reported, adding that "terrorist groups", such as ISIL, would be excluded.

If the ceasefire succeeds, political negotiations will start in the Kazakh capital under Turkey and Russia's guidance.